עבדת | |
 Aerial view of the acropolis | |
  Shown within Israel | |
| Alternative name | Ovdat Eboda |
|---|---|
| Location | Southern District, Israel |
| Region | Negev |
| Coordinates | 30°47′38″N 34°46′23″E / 30.794°N 34.773°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Founded | 3rd century BCE |
| Cultures | Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine, Early Islamic |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
| Official name | Incense Route - Desert Cities in the Negev (Haluza, Mamshit, Avdat and Shivta) |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iii, v |
| Designated | 2005 (29th session) |
| Reference no. | 1107 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
Avdat or Ovdat (Hebrew: עבדת), and Abdah or Abde (Arabic: عبدة), are the modern names of an archaeological site corresponding to the ancient Nabataean, Roman and Byzantine settlement of Oboda (tabula Peutingeriana; Stephanus Byzantinus) or Eboda (Ptolemaeus 5:16, 4)[1] in the Negev desert in southern Israel. It was inhabited with intermissions between the 3rd century BCE and the mid-7th century CE by Nabataeans, in their time becoming the most important city on the Incense Route after Petra, then by Roman army veterans, and Byzantines, surviving only for a few years into the Early Muslim period.[1][2][3] Avdat was a seasonal camping ground for Nabataean caravans travelling along the early Petra–Gaza road (Darb es-Sultan) in the 3rd – late 2nd century BCE. The city's original name[which?] was changed in honor of Nabataean King Obodas I, who, according to tradition, was revered as a deity and was buried there.[4][5]
- ^ a b "Avedat (Ovdat; Ar. "Abde")" in Encyclopaedia Judaica 2008, The Gale Group. Via Jewish Virtual Library, accessed 11 May 2024.
- ^ Yedioth Ahronoth (6 October 2009). "Avdat National Park vandalized". Retrieved on April 3, 2012.
- ^ Bucking, Scott; Fuks, Daniel; Dunseth, Zachary C.; Schwimer Lior; Erickson-Gini, Tali (2022). "The Avdat in Late Antiquity Project: uncovering the Early Islamic phases of a Byzantine town in the Negev Highlands". Antiquity. 96 (387): 754–761. doi:10.15184/aqy.2022.46. S2CID 248168993.
- ^ Nabataea: Early History. Retrieved on April 3, 2012.
- ^ Neuwirth, Angelika; Sinai, Nicolai; Marx, Michael (2010). The Qur'an in Context: Historical and Literary Investigations Into the Qur'anic Milieu. BRILL. p. 233. ISBN 978-90-04-17688-1.